She was such a nice girl, before all that knitting

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Monthly Archives: March 2007

And now I bring you an episode of “Projects I have been hiding from the blog because progress pictures might be boring (look, another finger!).”

I am bouncing back and forth between the Pop-Up Paw for the right hand (done, save for the Pop-Up) and the Paw for the left hand (at the ribbing for the cuff). As soon as I’m done with the ribbing, I can swap out my smaller needles for my larger ones on Pop-up #2 and finish Pop-up #1. See? Remarkably placid, tranquil knitting, unmarred by desperate “I had to frog it because it sucked” updates. I like many things about this project, including the pattern’s clear directions and teaching myself the suspended bindoff to ensure the fingers were loose enough around the knuckles for Knit One Purl Too’s Sunday Dinner Chef (aka my husband). He likes that this will be the second thing for him in 2007 – even though Cable and Rib waits, he is still getting the knitted goods.

I have been momentarily distracted, however, by the Step Above socks (from Knitter’s #75, Summer 2004) – those broken-rib entrelac squares are addictive. The entrelac is a great way to avoid the pooling I loathe and encounter so often in variegated yarns, and progress feels as fast as a plain old stockinette sock because each row is twelve freaking stitches long. Here, I have just finished the second full tier on the leg and started the third out of a total of five. I am following these suggested modifications for Step Above knitters who are knitting with less yardage per skein – I am also planning to decrease after the heel so that each square is just ten or eleven stitches wide; a looser leg is okay, but my foot needs less ease (and as we know, I make socks that fit, no matter what).

In other news, I had the opportunity to look at Knit 2 Together this weekend, and was pleasantly surprised – there were four projects I would make, which was four more than I was expecting (don’t hate me Tracey! I didn’t know!). The scarf/bonnet combo and the fitted jacket were especially nice [they remind me of the Turtleneck Shrug from Scarf Style and the Jess jacket, respectively, both patterns I like already], but I found myself inspecting the knitted jumper dress very closely – the lace panel at the waist would reduce bulk, provide some figure-flattering shaping and hide a multitude of minor flaws. Plus, I am a sucker for a turned hem.

But before I cast on for any dresses, I have several stashbusting projects in line: the Vertigo hat from Knitpicks, the Ribby Cardi from Bonne Marie Burns, Nezumi and the Santa Cruz Beanie from Magknits…and Lizzy from the Jane Ellison Naturally Noro book. Sharp-eyed readers will remember that I have loved this cardigan since I first saw it, and after a smashing swap thanks to the Knitter’s Review forums, I will be knitting Lizzy in the swoon-worthy shade of Silk Garden poetically known as 87, and Nina from San Francisco will be reknitting a vintage cardigan for her mom out of the finest La Gran Classic Elite has to offer. Stash knitting at its finest – it’s enough to make you plotz, really.